The Signal
by Miss Riku
Summary: Mr. Universe: Sort of from Mal's POV. Oneshot!


**Okay, this isn't very good, but I wrote it the other day, and felt like sharing--aren't I kind? ;) But yeah, it's DEFINITELY not my best work, but it's okay I suppose. (It's a bit out of place in a way....ends apruptly.) If you feel like, R&R would be appreciated. You can diss it if you want to, or you can rave. Even though I don't find it amazing, I'd like to know what the rest of the world thinks. :) **

**But yeah, like said, It's Mr. Universe centric. Enjoy! I took alot from the _Serenity_ novel, so things are a bit different...**

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"_I think we need to talk to Mr. Universe."_

()()

When Wash suggested this course of action, Mal saying that it was 'the best advice he's heard in a long time' was no understatement. He should have thought of it first, though; he was the captain, it was his job to think up the good ideas. He was the one who was suppose to save the girl—a mad little albatross of a girl, but a girl all the same—and win the medal. He was the one who did the heroics all damnable like.

Well, maybe it was kind of him to let his pilot suggest things once in a while—kept the guy happy, which Mal discovered was needed: A unhappy pilot equals a unhappy Zoe, which intern equals general unhappiness, and damn him if he couldn't keep his own gorram crew from going into universal depression.

Truth be told, Mal wasn't all that crazy about Mr. Universe as a person, and it wasn't for any of the obvious reasons. No, it wasn't the fact that Mr. U's real name was unknown (Mal's opinion was a man's name was his own business), nor was it the fact that Universe had cheated fight school, along with Seminary, and a mining academy (Mal wasn't exactly one to judge a cheater): it was the fact that Mr. U was so damn odd.

Now, Mal would be the first to admit that he and his crew were a bit on the odder side—as were their circumstances—but Mr. Universe was just _plain_ not right. No matter how hard he tried, Mal just could not understand the man.

He had first heard about the jovial computer geek from Wash, a couple years back, soon after their first flight on Serenity. It was right after Kaylee joined them, and they were stuck. They had just pulled one of the biggest jobs they had ever done, courtesy of Badger's lead, and were paralyzed. As it turned out, they might have been caught and up for arrest on the Alliances list, but couldn't be sure. That was when Wash brought up the fact about a guy he had known back in flight school.

Turns out, Wash had graduated second in the flight class, first being Mr. Universe, who had cheated his way there. (Every time Universe had to flight simulate, before hand he would hack into the system and make it fly to perfection. Same way for his real flights—he'd use auto pilot—and even when he got a bad score, he'd simply go on the main computer, hack, and fix it so he was always on top. )

In the end, Wash had caught him, and to keep him quiet Mr. U made a deal with him: Wash would keep his own trap shut, and in turn, Universe would always be at Wash's disposal--in the way that if Wash ever needed someone who knew the system: Universe would help.

At the time, Wash only agreed to this because the other option was fighting Universe, and Wash wasn't quite the best fighter in the ring. (Universe wasn't either, but it was the thought of violence that steered Wash away, in a very 'Wash-like' manor.)

And so, after hardly any deliberation because there was no other choice, Mal agreed to the plan to go see this guy called 'Universe'. Sure enough, this guy hacked into the police system, took a little peakie, and came back with a definite: "Nah, you guys are clean."

From then on, all his computer hacking needs were sent to Universe and his computers, which were both nestled on a lone little moon off in the middle of no where. Perfect for Mal, right off the Alliance's radars.

Like said, Mal never really thought Universe was all there, but it was sort of like Wash: Both a bit crazy, but hell, they got the job done and done well. So, with this latest need—thrust upon them by their dear little insane fugitive—they headed back to the iron clouded moon.

Sure enough, Universe had what they needed; Mal was satisfied. Serenity went on, flew around a bit, found dead people, saw lots of death, and did all sorts of epic things, until there he was, back at Mr. Universe's abode: that small little blue rock.

When Mal ran into Mr. Universes computer room—and basically, the man's whole house—he nearly swore aloud at the sight of torn cables and dark screens. Damn it, they had been here already. Angered and trying to figure out what to do, he turned around and had his eyes caught by a trial of blood, leading from Mr. Universes chair, across the floor, to his couch-bed thing. That's where he found Universe, curled up on it in a almost fetal position, his loyal LoveBot Lenore sitting next to him with head bowed and eyes dark.

Mal knelt down by the bed and put fingers to Universe's neck—no pulse. Dead. Gorram.

For a couple seconds, his pondered this fact, but then started to get back to his feet. Abruptly, the LoveBot jumped to life, the voice he heard from her sounding like that of a certain computer geek, although warped a bit with a feminine touch:

"Mal...Guy killed me, Mal. Killed me with a sword, how weird is that?...I gotta...short span...here...they destroyed my equipment, but I have a back up unit. Bottom of the complex, right over the generator. Hard to get to...I know they missed it."

Mal couldn't help but grin, he laid his right hand on Universe's stiff shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"They can't stop the signal, Mal." The bot continued as Mal got to his feet and ran to the complex.

"They can never stop...the signal..."

As he climbed inside, he heard one final: "Okay, this is getting painful. On many levels, I'm not sure--" Then nothing.

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**Oh yes! And forgive grammar errors; I love the idea of beta readers, but they're just not my thing :) no offense. **


End file.
